high_seas | Sitting on the edge of the fountain...

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Sitting on the edge of the fountain...

Who: Clementine...join her!
Where: She is sitting on the edge of the fountain.
When: The afternoon of October 6th
What: Clementine has arrived.
Warnings: Possible talk of death/zombies/blood...
Style: Going with the flow
Status: Open . Very open.

Clementine was sitting on the edge of the fountain, her journal resting on her lap. She'd woken up in this strange place near a fountain not too long ago and since then, she has been sitting on the edge, reading the journal with fascination. Well as much as she could read. Some people used bigger, more complex words than she knew, like the welcome page. She couldn't read where she was, but she was pretty sure it didn't say Georgia.

She was, in a word, filthy. Her dress was covered from head to toe in what looked like caked, dried blood. She smelled like someone who was a lot less than alive. Thrown on top of it was a red hoodie, one that had seen better days and had quite a few bloodstains itself, just not as bad as the others.

She had currency in one pocket and her gun in the other. She looked out at the people, watching them. They hadn't been friendly, not at all, but they still moved like they were alive. Where was she? What would Lee do in her situation?

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"Just about anything you want. Beef stew or lamb or fish." The tavern served a pretty good meal, and Kyouya was generous with his spending, so he liked to think, at least, that they liked him a bit more than the average guest.

With her hand in his, Kyouya led the way. She looked like she came from a war zone. She'd need some new clothes. Going around in stuff covered in dried blood? That couldn't be comfortable. At least she didn't seem hurt.

"Whatever I want?" Clementine asked, eyes wide. Wow. She'd have to give it some serious thought, when was the last time she got to pick what she wanted for dinner? "It all sounds really delicious...." She sounded in awe with the idea.

Fortunately, Clementine was not hurt, but she was very uncomfortable. It was just the most practical way of going around her world at the moment.

"I'm sorry. I forgot to ask you your name. That was very rude of me."

It was said almost conversationally as Kyouya led the way into the inn. A few odd looks -- probably because of how the girl was dressed. Or maybe because some of the regulars were used to him dining with someone as part of a business deal. Or just because they were outsiders here. He motioned to a seat and sat down opposite it.

"Oh, well, I'm Clementine! It's nice to meet you Kyo!" She smiled again, she seemed to be in relatively good spirits.

Following his direction, she sat down on the seat of course and looked around the restaurant. It was so different. She remembered going to one at least once before, but she couldn't remember what it was called.

Kyouya gave a small smile, usually reserved for buttering someone up when he wanted something. "Clementine." Or, at least, he managed a close approximation of the name. He had a bit better command of Western names, but it was still filtered through a different language, even if they seemed to speak the same here.

"What would you like to eat? The stew's really good, I think."

"Stew would be good." She nods, grateful not to have to really decide. It was a lot to think about, all those choices. Clementine is not terribly picky. She looks around a moment and lowers her voice conspiratorially. "Do you think they have juice?"

"They might." He hadn't ever thought to ask, actually. If Honey-senpai were here, he found himself thinking, he'd probably know all of this and more. But, well, when a barmaid came over, he made the order. Two bowls of soup, tea, and juice. It was worth asking, at least.

Clementine leaned forward anxiously and when she just nodded and left she broke out into a grin. She hoped it was a good kind, but really it didn't matter the flavour. They were all good.

Kyouya waited in silence for a few moments until the food came out. Nothing like a proper restaurant where meals were cooked to order. It was, instead, whatever the kitchen had already prepared. Still, it was hot, and it was good.

Juice, tea, and two bowls of soup.

After taking a few bites, he said, casually enough, "There should be somewhere around here where we can get you something else to wear, too. Something cleaner." And get the girl a bath. That was high on his priorities, too.

Clementine tilted her head. "Do you think so? That would be good. I don't like this dress anymore."

It was gross just thinking about what Lee did to her dress. It was enough to make her grimace.

"We'll get you a bath with hot water and soap." Because, Lord, she needed to be cleaned. Proper shampoo and conditioner weren't readily available, but soap was, so that would do. "And a clean dress."

Clementine nodded in agreement. Hot water sounded really really good. She turned her attention back to her stew and took a bite. "Oh it's good!"

Kyouya smiled a little, watching her eat. For awhile, he did the same. It was warm and filling and fresh. He couldn't complain, really. Not at this point.

"Have you ever been on a boat, Clementine?"

Clementine shook her head. "No. We were going to go on a boat, but it got stolen."

She was eating a little slowly, but it had been a long time since she had something so fulfilling.

"Part of what we have to do here is go on a boat with other people. There are lots of them." It was weird to explain, to try and figure out how to tell a kid all of this.

"The people who own the places we can sleep here don't like it if we're around too long. Lots of people have boats, though, so it shouldn't be too hard to find one you can go on."

He paused. Better to make the offer official. If he was going to dress her, he could do this much. "If you want, I can help you find someone to go with."

"I heard, lots of people have ships." She grinned.

Clementine looked at the table thoughtfully. "I don't know. I don't know how to find a boat. It might be hard."

"We can go into town tomorrow. Get you all cleaned up tomorrow, get some sleep tonight, then talk to people tomorrow."

He sighed a little. There was nothing to do but look put for her for at least a bit longer.

"I'm waiting for someone who's supposed to be coming soon. Until she gets here and we need to leave, I can help you look for someone to go with."

"Okay. Thank you Kyo!" She smiled. It was nice of him to offer anyway. Clementine didn't know how hard it was going to be to find a boat to sail on.

"It's fine. I have the free time." Because he wasn't doing this out of concern. No. He just... couldn't have her wandering around alone, after all.

Not that any ship would be safe, but he could at least try and minimize the danger she was in anywhere. Because, well. She was a little kid.

The motives behind that kind of comment are completely lost on Clementine. She's too young to understand how Kyouya's mind works.

She just seems pleased with it and she works on finishing her soup. She eats almost all of it before pushing her bowl away with regret.

Kyouya eats his fill, too -- finishing off what's in his bowl. Once he's out to sea, it may be awhile before he's actually able to eat a full meal again. Cooks at sea... Well. He doesn't have full faith in them.

Setting money on the table, he stands and offers her a few coins. "Take these over to that lady behind the bar. Tell her you need a bath drawn and some soap. I'll find you something to wear, okay?"

"Okay, I will. Thank you Kyo!" Clementine said cheerfully as she got up. Her stomach was pleasantly full and she had a warm bath ahead of her.

Kyouya took his time shopping. He didn't have much left in his funds, not really. Not after contributing to buy what became Shepherd or putting his share in to purchase those initial supplies. Still, he managed a suitable (if very simple) dress.

After asking the woman he'd sent Clementine to, he made his way to the second floor of the inn, where she'd indicated the bathtub given to the girl was. He knocked on it.

"Clementine? May I open the door for a moment? I have a new dress for you."

Clementine had been given the same as everyone else, and if he asked her, she could pay for the clothes herself.

She looked up from the tub, where she'd been enjoying her warm bath and turned towards the door. "Okay, you can come in if you want."

Her old clothes was piled up on the counter, with her hat, her journal and her gun on top of them.

But he wouldn't ask her to do that. After all, there was no way of knowing if she'd been given anything or how much, and... Discussing financial matters was impolite.

He entered the room, approaching the stained clothes. Those, he'd get rid of later. "It's nothing too fancy, but I found this for you."

As he's speaking, though, he sees not the journal... but the gun. That puts a whole new spin on the clothes she was wearing. What had this girl seen before now? Who would give a child a gun?

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